


Hollyleaf's Gift

by aerinofthestarsandseas



Category: Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: Dark Forest (Warriors), F/M, M/M, StarClan (Warriors)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-07
Updated: 2020-12-15
Packaged: 2021-02-27 23:20:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 11
Words: 18,185
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22533871
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aerinofthestarsandseas/pseuds/aerinofthestarsandseas
Relationships: Brambleclaw/Squirrelflight (Warriors), Fallen Leaves/Hollyleaf (Warriors), Mudstrike/Falconfeather (Original Characters), Ravenpaw (Warriors)/Firefly (Original Character)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 22





	1. Chapter 1

_ It all seemed to happen in the blink of an eye. Hawkfrost was launching himself toward Ivypool, claws extended.  _

_ Hollyleaf didn’t think of the consequences, she leapt in front of the Dark Forest warrior and took the blow. She heard Brambleclaw yowl with rage, and saw him chase his dead half-brother out of the camp, then drag him back in and kill him.  _

_ Everything else passed in a blur, and she didn’t register most of it, but then there was silence. She saw the blurry image of a light brown tabby she-cat with sad amber eyes standing over her.  _ Leafpool. _ Hollyleaf raised her head a little and thought she heard Leafpool saying something she couldn’t quite make out. _

Don’t bother _ , Hollyleaf thought. _ I’m going to die anyway. _ She opened her mouth to speak, but dark red blood dribbled out. Hollyleaf closed her eyes and tried to say what needed to be said.  _

_Her voice was shaky and barely audible, but even she could hear the words meant for Leafpool. “I couldn’t leave ThunderClan without getting to know my mother.”_ There. _Hollyleaf’s eyelids began to close, but just as they dropped she spotted a white and ginger tom whose fur sparkled with stars. “I’ll see you later,” a_ _voice whispered in her head._ Yes, _Hollyleaf realized,_ I’ll see you later.

Hollyleaf’s eyes snapped open.  _ It was only a dream,  _ she comprehended with a sigh. She felt Fallen Leaves stir beside her. 

“Bad dream?” he asked. 

“Yeah,” Hollyleaf replied reluctantly. Fallen Leaves could see through everything she said, and Hollyleaf had learned early on that she couldn’t lie to her mate.

“Well I’m awake now,” he said, standing up to stretch. “What was it about?” Hollyleaf didn’t answer right away, so he started to lick his paws and drag them over his ears to clean them. Finally Hollyleaf relented. 

“It was about the night I died.” Fallen Leaves had been pretending not to be interested in what she was talking about while he was washing, but now he stopped and faced her.

“After I died in the tunnels I had dreams for the next few moons,” he admitted. Hollyleaf looked up from staring at her paws. “What were they about?” she asked, already having a good guess. 

Fallen Leaves looked at the distant wall of their underground den, the StarClan version of the one where they had first met. 

“Never getting back to the surface,” he answered quietly after many moments of silence. Hollyleaf looked up at her mate, she’d guessed as much, she also guessed that he was hiding something else. 

She didn’t dare probe any farther than she already had, though. Silence settled over them again, thicker than before. 

“Want to go hunting?” she asked, just to break the silence. “Sure,” he answered, leading the way out of their cave and into the light of StarClan’s hunting grounds. “What do you want to chase this time?” Fallen Leaves teased, dropping the shield he kept around him in the tunnels. At that exact moment a squirrel shot past Hollyleaf and she hared after it, not answering Fallen Leaves’ question with words but with action. 

It was a quick squirrel but Hollyleaf was faster, running through flowers, and jumping over bushes. The squirrel ran up a tree but Hollyleaf caught it, only to run into Seedpaw and land with a thud on the ground. 

“Hey!” Seedpaw exclaimed. “That was obviously mine!” 

“No it wasn’t, Seedpaw. We started chasing it before you did,” Hollyleaf replied. 

“You should respect your elders Seedpaw,” Fallen Leaves added.

“Fine, have it for yourselves.” Seedpaw stalked away angrily.

Fallen Leaves picked up the squirrel and they walked back to their den. He buried it and asked Hollyleaf if she wanted to chase anything else. She answered yes and they set off.

“It’s kinda funny that Seedpaw has only been in Starclan for less than two moons and she’s already an annoying furball with everybody,” Hollyleaf joked as they ran. Fallen Leaves gave her an amused glance. “What?” 

“I remember when you came, it was hilarious.” “What are you talking about?” Hollyleaf asked with a look of mock surprise on her face. Fallen Leaves shot her another amused look and sped away.  _ Oh no you don’t, _ Hollyleaf thought with a laugh as she took off after him.

They had entered an unfamiliar part of the forest,  _ Maybe not so unfamiliar to Fallen Leaves,  _ Hollyleaf realized. 

Suddenly there were voices up ahead, and Hollyleaf couldn’t see or hear Fallen Leaves anywhere. “Hollyleaf,” hissed some holly bushes to her left that sounded suspiciously like her mate. “Get over here.” This time a ginger and white head popped out of prickly leaves and nodded toward the small hole beside him.

“Who’s over there, what are they talking about?” Hollyleaf whispered as soon as she was hidden safely inside the bush Fallen Leaves had chosen to hide in. “Bluestar, Yellowfang, Firestar, and Sandstorm, about you I think,” he answered softly.

“Can we get closer?” Hollyleaf asked. Fallen Leaves padded silently through the thick brambles and sharp-pointed leaves, until they saw a spot of light that opened into a clearing. Fallen Leaves was right, the blue-gray pelt of Bluestar, the dark gray and scarred fur of Yellowfang, and the two ginger coats of Firestar and Sandstorm were all in the clearing, talking in hushed voices, most of the time.

“‘ _ Pelt as black as night _ ,’ that’s what the prophecy said,” Sandstorm argued.

“What about ‘ _ white and ginger, who will always stay beyond their time _ ’?” Yellowfang growled, keeping voice just below shouting. 

“I think we’re all missing something,” Firestar reasoned. “Bluestar, could you repeat the prophecy?” 

“ _ ‘When the battle has been won and lost, two will come to fulfill the promise. One with a pelt as dark as night, except for the blood that killed in life. The other white and ginger, who will always stay beyond their time. Four will come and two will die, to bring hope where there is none in sight. A light will rise from the darkness of the forest and lead on after the fire has been extinguished,’ _ ” Bluestar recited.

“There,” said Firestar, relaxing a bit. “Who does that sound like?” Bluestar and Yellowfang looked up and closed their eyes, probably searching their memory of all the members of StarClan. Sandstorm, however, was staring right at the bush Hollyleaf and Fallen Leaves were hiding in. 

“What is the promise Firestar?” Bluestar asked softly, with her eyes still closed. “We haven’t promised the Clans anything, everything is hidden by a mist.” 

“I don’t know, Bluestar,” Firestar whispered just as Yellowfang said, “‘ _ Pelt as dark as night, except for the blood that killed in life _ .’ Hollyleaf.”

“Which means that  _ ‘white and ginge _ r’ is that faded tom she always hangs around, Fallen Leaves,” Sandstorm added. Hollyleaf turned to Fallen Leaves, he didn’t look faded to her. Well, maybe he was a bit more transparent than her. 

“So,” finished Firestar, who probably knew that the she-cats would come to that conclusion. “The prophecy is about Hollyleaf and Fallen Leaves, correct?” 

Hollyleaf let out a muffled gasp as Fallen Leaves shoved his tail into her mouth, looking at her apologetically. The four StarClan cats in the clearing were watching the holly bushes Hollyleaf and Fallen Leaves were in with interest, except for Yellowfang, who was glaring with interest.

“Let’s get out of here,” Fallen Leaves whispered in Hollyleaf’s ear. Hollyleaf nodded and fled silently from the holly bushes and clearing. 

_ What did they mean? _ she kept thinking over and over again. 

As soon as she reached the entrance to the tunnels she slipped inside and went to the underground river, the only place she could be calmed. 

_ What did they mean? _ she thought as she watched the little fish swim. 

She eventually heard Fallen Leaves pad into the tunnels, so she whisked back to the nest made of feathers and pretended to be asleep. Fallen Leaves settled beside her, and Hollyleaf heard his breathing slow, he was sleeping. 

_ I’ll never get to sleep, _ Hollyleaf thought, and she didn’t, not as deep as her mate anyway, just little snatches of sleep full of nightmares. 

  
  



	2. Chapter 2

That morning Hollyleaf didn’t wake, she was already awake from all that had happened that night. Finally Fallen Leaves flipped over and watched her until she noticed him. “You’re really good at pretending to do stuff while other cats are going through things, aren’t you?”

He didn’t answer, his gaze was fixed on the opening of their cave. Hollyleaf turned to see what he was staring at and leapt to her paws. “Sandstorm? What are you doing here?” she asked, wondering why and how the old pale ginger she-cat was in the tunnels. 

“I saw you yesterday,” Sandstorm answered simply. 

“Did you tell the others?” Fallen Leaves asked curiously, sitting up beside Hollyleaf. “No need to worry, I didn’t tell them. I’m here to collect you, not take you to them for punishing.”

“To…collect us?” “Yes, didn’t you hear what was going to happen while you were eavesdropping?” Sandstorm asked teasingly. “Umm...No.We left right after you figured out the prophecy. Well, I did at least.” 

“I was right behind you,” Fallen Leaves said, defending himself. 

_ He is really good at not being noticed,  _ Hollyleaf thought with a shiver. She shot her mate a look that said,  _ We’ll talk later, _ except Fallen Leaves didn’t give any sign that he saw it. 

“Well come on then,” Sandstorm said, leading the way out of the tunnels and into the moonlit forest. Hollyleaf and Fallen Leaves followed Sandstorm through the forest until they reached the clearing that they had seen Bluestar, Yellowfang, Firestar, and Sandstorm in earlier.

This time one more cat had joined them, alongside Yellowfang was a light gray tom who glared at Hollyleaf as she entered the clearing.  _ Ashfur. What is he doing here?  _ wondered Hollyleaf. Ashfur was watching her every move, like a snake about to strike. As she got closer Hollyleaf realized that Ashfur’s glaring eyes were hiding something underneath, sadness. 

Sandstorm stopped opposit e the other four cats and sat down. 

“Hollyleaf, Fallen Leaves, thank you for coming,” Bluestar began, like they had been invited to some great occasion, Yellowfang took over. “As Sandstorm has surely told you, there was a prophecy, involving both of you.” If Yellowfang had been expecting some other response she didn’t get one.

“We have managed to uncoil most of the prophecy,” the scarred she-cat continued. Firestar stood up and silenced Yellowfang with a flick of his tail when she began to protest.

“Like Yellowfang said, we have uncoiled most of the prophecy, but not all of it,” the ginger tom picked up. “We think that you and Fallen Leaves are supposed to go back to the world of the living cats.” Firestar looked around for a moment, “He’s supposed to be here by now,” the flame-colored tom mumbled.

“I’m here,” said a grumpy voice from behind Firestar. Something about it made Hollyleaf start, the voice sounded familiar. Firestar stepped aside to reveal a gray tabby tom, that seemed to look right into Hollyleaf. 

_ Jayfeather? _ Hollyleaf thought wonderingly. She risked a look at Fallen Leaves and saw that he recognized her brother and was wondering the same thing she was. 

Finally Jayfeather broke the silence by asking Firestar the rudest questions Hollyleaf had ever heard. 

“Why did you bring me here? Leafpool has whitecough. Don’t you care about your daughter? And why are Fallen Leaves and Hollyleaf here?”

“I know, I know, Leafpool’s going to be fine. There was a prophecy and-” Firestar never got to finish his explanation. “Yellowfang told me,” Jayfeather interrupted. Yellowfang shot a smug look at Firestar. 

“What’s all this about anyway?” Jayfeather asked, settling down next to Sandstorm. “If Yellowfang’s already told you, then I guess we’ll cut to the chase,” Firestar said all resigned-like. 

“What’s happening down there, Jayfeather?” Bluestar asked. “We can’t see anything, it’s all covered with mist.”

“Yeah, Leafpool caught whitecough from Littlecloud and brought it back to camp. ShadowClan has the sickness too. Oh, and we just got attacked by a bunch of rogues that wiped out ShadowClan. Alderheart says he met them when he went on the journey with Sandstorm and some of his clanmates. Bramblestar has been sending patrols out to find what Alderheart was sent to find.”

Bluestar, Yellowfang, and Firestar all looked like fish, gaping their mouths like that. Sandstorm and Fallen Leaves looked mildly surprised, like Hollyleaf felt. And Ashfur looked like he didn’t care.

Once the three older cats got their senses back Ashfur looked at Yellowfang with a question in his eyes. Yellowfang shook her head “No.” Ashfur sighed and turned to face Firestar, “Why am I here?” he asked in a husky voice. 

“Oh, right! Thanks for reminding me Ashfur.” Ashfur looked like he had no idea what was going on. “Ashfur, you are here to judge Hollyleaf.” “For what?” Hollyleaf demanded.

Firestar was watching Hollyleaf with a strange expression. “Hasn’t anyone told you?” “Told me what?” Hollyleaf asked again, looking at Fallen Leaves for help, but he looked away guiltily. “Told you about going back down,” Firestar answered gently. 

“What?” Hollyleaf shrieked. “I can’t go back!” Ashfur looked like he wholeheartedly agreed with her. “Ashfur tell them!”

The light gray tom looked shocked. “She can’t go back because...Well...You know what she did,” Ashfur stammered, not sounding very convincing.

“Hollyleaf,” Jayfeather said softly. “It’s the prophecy.” “Jayfeather is right,” Fallen Leaves said suddenly, he looked up at her from the ground, “And I’ll be right there with you.” 

“I...I...I can’t,” Hollyleaf gasped, and she ran into the shadow-filled forest, because the moon was blocked by clouds. 

  
  
  
  
  



	3. Chapter 3

“Hollyleaf!” Fallen Leaves cried, “Stop!” “I’m sorry, I can’t!” she screamed back. 

Hollyleaf was standing on the border line between StarClan’s hunting grounds and the Dark Forest. Voices called to her, prompting her, begging her to join them. “You don’t need them,” came a hiss from the trees. “They don’t want you either.”

_ They’re right,  _ Hollyleaf realized with a jolt.  _ I don’t need them, and they don’t want me.  _

“That’s right,” said the same voice as before. “Why do they want you? You’ll be better off with us.” The voice was dripping with sweetness and promises, but it didn’t feel right. 

“Fool! You need us, you know you do!” The voice spilled with venom, venom and broken promises. “Hush, you don’t want to scare the child do you?” another voice said from the trees. 

_ That voice, _ Hollyleaf though.  _ So familiar.  _ “Do you remember me Hollyleaf?” A face appeared out of the Dark Forest, a face that looked so much like Bramblestar’s.

“Hawkfrost,” Hollyleaf whispered. “That's right, now, you belong here, we’ll take care of you. I’ll take care of you.”

“No!” shouted someone behind her. Hollyleaf couldn’t move, but she felt someone brush against her and stop.

“She doesn’t belong with you!” he shouted again. “You can’t be serious. Remember what she did to you! She does belong with us!” Hawkfrost said again, growing angrier. “Don’t make him angry Ashfur!” Hollyleaf cried. “He’ll kill you!” 

Something softened in Ashfur’s voice, “Does it sound like I care, Hollyleaf? He can’t hurt me anyway.” “Why not?” Hollyleaf asked, feeling dizzy. 

“Because, Hollyleaf, you’re dreaming.”

Hollyleaf woke up shivering, Ashfur lay curled up beside her, and Fallen Leaves lay in front of her. When her green eyes met his amber eyes he began to lick her fiercely. A huge yawn sounded beside her and Hollyleaf whipped around to see Ashfur staring at her. 

“I’m sorry Ashfur,” Hollyleaf burst. “For killing you, I mean. Did you mean everything you said?” Ashfur licked her right ear tenderly, like Bramblestar had sometimes. “Yes, Hollyleaf, I did mean it, and I know you killed me to protect yourself and your brothers. I might have killed myself eventually anyway.”

“We’d better get back,” said Fallen Leaves, interrupting them as a warm yellow glow began to fill the forest. Hollyleaf rose and stretched her legs one by one. 

“We said we’d find you then meet them at the Moonpool at dawn. Jayfeather left, by the way,” Fallen Leaves said as they made their way through the trees to a glade. “The Moonpool?” “The StarClan version,” Ashfur explained patiently. “Where we meet the Medicine Cats and Leaders, for the nine lives ceremony.”

The glade began to look familiar to Hollyleaf. “I was here before, at Bramblestar’s nine lives ceremony, but I wasn’t allowed to give him a life,” Hollyleaf said quietly, glancing at Ashfur as she ended. “Because you killed me,” he finished. 

“Hollyleaf, Ashfur, they’re here,” Fallen Leaves whispered. “Good luck,” Ashfur said, then he disappeared into the forest behind them. Hollyleaf and Fallen Leaves were left in the clearing. A few moments later the trees rustled and Bluestar, Yellowfang, Firestar, and Sandstorm emerged into the clearing and headed toward Hollyleaf and Fallen Leaves. 

Yellowfang spoke first, “You made amends with Ashfur? Good.” Firestar was a little more gentle, “Are you ready?” Hollyleaf nodded. 

“I would like to speak, or can’t I?” Bluestar asked, not waiting for a response, maybe she didn’t want one, then she stated something strange. “Hollyleaf, you’re expecting kits.”

“What? I can’t be.” “Well you are, since you’re coming back to life.” “The four that were spoken of in the prophecy are my kits?” Hollyleaf asked, she looked down at her paws, they seemed to be getting less transparent every second. “Yes,” Bluestar said gently, she stepped forward and touched her nose to the space between Hollyleaf’s ears. 

“You have to be strong Hollyleaf,” Yellowfang said roughly. “Jayfeather will be the only one that knows.” “And Hollyleaf,” Sandstorm began. “When you get back to ThunderClan tell them your name is Holly.” “I will,” Hollyleaf promised in a whisper.

“Be strong,” Yellowfang repeated again. A ripple of pain passed through Hollyleaf’s body, she gasped. “Hollyleaf?” The glade around her began to spin all the colors swirling together, the pain getting worse.

The colors all mixed into brown, the pain was gone and the spinning stopped. 

Hollyleaf looked down, she was in a bed of feathers. Something squirmed in the corner of her eye. She turned her head slowly, so she wouldn’t get dizzy again. Four kits lay in the curve of her belly, suckling. 

“Well, Holly,” came a familiar voice. “What should we name our kits?” 

Hollyleaf,  _ Holly now I guess,  _ she thought, turned her head again. Sitting beside her was a white and ginger tom, “Fallen Leaves,” she said, licking his nose. 

“I’m not Fallen Leaves anymore, and you aren’t Hollyleaf,” he said teasingly. “Your name is Holly, named for your black fur with the red patch on your chest. And I’m Leaves, your mate. 

“We have four kits, one is black with ginger and white patches, a she-kit. The second is a dark brown and white tom, the third is a white tom.” “And the fourth?” Holly asked. “And the fourth is a tortoiseshell and white she-kit.” 

“What should we name them?” Holly asked. “Don’t you want to name some of them?” Leaves asked evasively. “Alright,” Holly replied. “I’ll name the she-kits and you name the toms.” 

_ The black one with ginger and white patches reminds me of something,  _ Holly realized.  _ Like those bugs that looked like they were on fire at night.  _ “You’ll be Firefly, because I can’t name you Fireflykit. That would seem suspicious when we go back to the Clan,” she whispered to the first kit. The tortoiseshell and white she-kit seemed to remind her of someone. _ Sorreltail? Maybe.  _

_ Lionblaze and Cinderheart named one of their kits Sorrelkit,  _ Holly remembered, having overheard some elder StarClan she-cats talking about it.  _ She’s an apprentice now, might be assessed soon. With her brother, Fernpaw, and sister, Hollypaw. Can’t name you Sorrel then can I?  _ she thought.

“Who do you remind me of?” Holly asked out loud. Leaves gave her a glance.  _ Sol? No, this kit will never be like him, ever.  _ “Leaves, what did you name the toms?” she asked instead. “Well, I named the dark brown and white tom Mud, and the white tom Rain.” 

“Why Rain?” Holly asked. Leaves nodded his head toward one of the sky holes. Fat drops of rain were coming through with alarming force, making it look like the surface of the lake when there was a strong wind. The pounding was muffled by the many layers of earth, so Holly hadn’t heard it before. 

“Can you help me name this one then?” Holly asked, getting back to the task of naming the tortoiseshell and white she-kit. “She reminds you of someone, doesn’t she?” Leaves asked absently. “How do you know that?” Holly questioned. 

“She reminds me of someone, and I assumed she reminded you of someone too. Since the she-cat she reminds us of was a StarClan cat.” “Spottedleaf,” they said at the same time. 

“Should we name her after Spottedleaf?” Leaves asked. “No,” Holly argued. “Too obvious when we get to the Clan.” “How about Clover?” Leaves suggested, draping his tail over Holly’s back. 

“Clover’s perfect,” Holly purred. “And we will treat her the same way as we will treat all of our kits.” “They will grow and we will raise them, and when they’re ready we’ll take them to the Clan,” Leaves planned.

“Yes,” Holly whispered. “When they’re ready.”

  
  
  
  



	4. Chapter 4

“Ready to go outside?” Holly asked her kits. “Yes!” chorused three of them cried, Rain was near Leaves, watching his father, but not hearing him.   
It hadn’t taken long to realize that Rain was deaf. Holly had wanted to shield him from all the bad, but Leaves convinced her to treat him as she treated the others, except a little differently. 

“Mama,” Clover began, whispering while her brother and sister mock fought, she was the quiet one of the bunch. “Why do you look so sad?” She was also very thoughtful. “I was just thinking,” Holly answered, watching Rain play with sorrow in her heart, she knew something would happen to him one day.

“About Rain,” Clover finished for her. “Is something going to happen to him?” she asked with alarm. “No, you don’t need to worry about that my dear.” “Alright Mama,” Clover said, pressing herself against Holly’s belly fur when Firefly and Mud rolled past them, a ball of fur and paws.

Rain saw them and crouched, getting ready to jump into the fray when Leaves called “Firefly, Mud! Do you want to go outside or not?” The two oldest kits broke apart immediately. “We do, Papa, we do!” they cried. 

“Then behave! The prey will hear you for who knows how many fox lengths if you stalk like that.” “We will Papa,” they said solemnly.   
“Good,” breathed Leaves. “ Now show me your hunting crouch.” The two kits obliged silently, getting their stances almost right except for a raised tail here or an unbalanced stance there, which Leaves corrected. Clover joined her sister and brother in practicing, picking up mistakes and fixing them before Leaves got to her. 

Rain was watching his littermates with a sparkle in his light blue eyes. All the other kit’s eyes had changed color when they were about four moons old. Firefly had different colored eyes, one was amber and the other was green. Mud’s eyes were green, and Clover’s eyes were amber. Rain’s eyes had stayed blue, only getting a little lighter. 

Rain was crouching now, his stance was perfect, except for his tail which was swishing around. Then his tail stopped moving and he waited, as if frozen still. Holly stood up, but just as she did Rain leaped. He landed right on Mud’s back and Mud yowled with surprise. Rain leaped off his brother’s back and lay on the ground again, his tail swinging.

“Alright then,” Leaves called from the opening of the cave they were in. “You have all been trained to catch the swift minnows in the river. Let’s see if you can catch real prey.” 

Firefly and Mud leapt up and ran for the cave entrance. “Wait!” Holly cried. “You don’t know the way, these tunnels go on underneath all the Clan’s territories. You could get lost!” Leaves brushed against her with Rain at his tail. “Don’t worry,” he said softly. “I’ll make sure they don’t get lost.”

“Thanks,” Holly breathed. “You take the energetic ones,” she said, nodding at Firefly and Mud. “And I’ll take these two,” she said, nodding at Clover and Rain, she laid her tail over Rain’s back, so he would know to stay with her.

“Alright,” Leaves agreed. “Come on you two,” he said to Firefly and Mud. “Follow me. Don’t wander off, and do what I tell you.”

Holly watched Leaves leave the cave with Firefly and Mud following him, bouncing with excitement. When Holly could no longer hear Leaves and the two older kits she led the younger two kits toward the river cave. 

As they approached the underground river Clover gave Holly a confused look and asked, “Why are we here Mama?” Holly looked down at her younger two kits, one a reincarnation and one deaf. Rain didn’t look worried though, he trusted her. Finally Holly answered Clover’s question.

“We are taking a different route to the surface. We are going to hunt in the unclaimed territory.” “Alright Mama,” Clover said. Rain had been watching his sister the whole time she was talking. He was now mouthing a familiar word,  _ Mama. _

Rain had been quiet ever since he was a newborn, only mewling when he wanted attention, but never speaking. “Go on little one,” Holly mewed encouragingly, silently urging her youngest son to speak. “Ma-ma,” Rain said, his voice was slurred and heavy, like the others had been when they first started talking.

But Rain was speaking, that was all that mattered, wasn’t it?

More pressing matters were ahead though. “Come along kits,” Holly said, beckoning Rain with her tail so he would follow her. “Time to go hunting.” And with that Holly entered the tunnel that lead to the edge of ThunderClan territory, with two of her kits trailing behind her.

As Holly reached the surface she listened and scented for passing patrols, she smelled one but it was old, rarely anyone came up here, even though there was good hunting. “Come on up kits,” said Holly in a low voice after she hopped out of the tunnel. “And stay away from the edge.” Clover hopped out of the tunnel first, with Rain behind her. 

“Wow,” Clover breathed as she leapt out of the tunnel, she had only ever known the life of the cold underground tunnels. “I didn’t know there was so much green and blue in the whole world.” “Don’t you worry dear there’s plenty more green and blue out there,” Holly chuckled, waving her tail toward the edge of the trees.

“What’s out there?” Clover asked, her eyes growing wide. “A lake that sparkles in the sunlight and a moor that seems to stretch forever and more trees than you can count.” Suddenly Holly heard something coming through the undergrowth, she inhaled deeply through her mouth and smelled a ThunderClan patrol coming their way.

Holly swung her head around wildly,  _ Where’s Rain?  _ Clover was watching her with panicked eyes. “Clover, hide in the roots of that tree,” Holly said, pointing toward an ash tree that’s roots had been exposed by age and rain. “I’m going to go find Rain,” she explained as Clover hid herself among the dead leaves inside a cave the roots built. “Stay quiet and don’t move until I get back.” 

The patrol was almost on top of them, there was a quickness in their step now,  _ They must’ve scented us, _ Holly thought as she dove into the trees to watch the patrol. 

Four cats filed into the part of the forest Holly, Clover, and Rain had come out in. Holly realized that she recognized the four Warriors that she saw.  _ Ivypool, Blossomfall, Fernsong, and Cloudtail. _

Ivypool was sniffing around the tunnel entrance, and Cloudtail was scenting the air.  _ He’s ThunderClan’s best tracker,  _ Holly remembered with a start.  _ He’ll find Clover right away.  _ Blossomfall had started to track a scent trail that led from the tunnel to the tree that Clover was hiding in. 

Cloudtail had scented something though. He growled and the other three warriors stopped what they were doing and scented the air. “Fox,” Ivypool said. “And getting closer,” growled Cloudtail. Holly smelled something before they did, however. The smell of a kit, with the scent of milk on him, easy prey for a fox. 

Forgetting all caution Holly ran out of her hiding place and raced through the trees. “Rain!” she cried, just as a shriek rose from the trees a few fox lengths ahead of her. Fox scent covered the trees, a new smell was rising through the stench.  _ Kit blood,  _ Holly thought. 

She ran faster, not hearing the crashing of the patrol behind her, only the echo of Rain’s cry. Holly broke out of the trees into a clearing filled with fox scent. She scanned the clearing, her eyes falling on a small white body, with two puncture wounds on his neck, both the size of a fox’s tooth. 

“No,” Holly whispered, falling onto her stomach and cradling Rain’s body. “No,” she whispered again. 

“Who are you?” someone asked behind her. “You’re on ThunderClan territory.” “No I’m not,” Holly replied. “I crossed the borderline when I entered this clearing, didn’t you smell it?” She retorted. Holly swung her head around and was satisfied to see their shocked faces.

“Hollyleaf?” Ivypool asked softly. 

“Who’s Hollyleaf?” Holly lied, swinging her head back around so they wouldn’t see her eyes. “My name’s Holly, and my son is dead.” 

Something crashed through the trees that surrounded the clearing. “Holly!” Leaves cried, racing over to her, only to stop when he saw the four warriors. “Leaves, they won’t harm you, come here.” Leaves took a few more steps forward and dropped to the ground when he saw Rain. 

“What happened?” he finally choked out. “We had just came out of the tunnels,” Holly began, licking Rain’s blood-soaked fur as she spoke. “He must have wandered off when I wasn’t looking. Then the patrol came and I hid Clover, that’s when I realized Rain was gone. I heard him screech Leaves, I heard him, but I couldn’t save him.” 

The ThunderClan patrol had been listening to them the whole time. “Do you want to bury him?” Cloudtail asked. “Yes,” Holly said, looking at Leaves. “I want to bury him by the tunnel.” 

Holly and Leaves made their way back to the tunnel entrance. Holly was carrying Rain’s body in her jaws. Once they reached the tunnel entrance Holly set Rain down and began to dig a hole in the soft earth. When the hole was deep enough she placed him in the hole and covered his small white body. “I hope they take care of you, little one,” Holly whispered. 

“Mama? Papa? Where’s Rain?” came a small voice from behind them. Holly turned to face her daughter. “Rain’s gone to live somewhere else,” she told Clover softly. “The fox got him. He’s dead isn’t he?” “Yes Clover, he’s dead.” 

Clover walked over to the freshly covered hole that held Rain’s body. She knelt down and placed her head so close to the ground that Holly thought her daughter was going to eat the dirt. Then Clover’s mouth moved, she was whispering something to her brother’s body. Holly strained her ears to hear what Clover was saying.

“...Clan light your path. May you find good hunting, swift running, and shelter when you sleep,” the little tortoiseshell and white kit whispered. Holly watched her closely as she straightened her back, Clover didn’t look very different, but the words had seemed to roll right off her tongue.

Holly exchanged a look with Leaves.  _ That’s what cats say when one of our Clanmates die,  _ she tried to say with her eyes. He narrowed his eyes in return, showing he understood. 

Cloudtail grunted behind her, his blue eyes were hard. “We’ll need to take you to our camp.” Holly’s eyes widened, she turned to Leaves. “Where are our other kits?” she asked, panic rising in her chest. 

“I left them in the tunnel, why?” 

“You can’t leave them in the tunnel! Do you know what’s down there?!” Ivypool interrupted them. “How long you been living down in the tunnels?” Holly glanced at Leaves, he seemed to be counting something in his head. “About six moons I think,” he said at last. Holly nodded, “That sounds right.” 

Blossomfall cut into the conversation, “We can’t let them leave their kits in the tunnels, Cloudtail, it’s dangerous down there!” Cloudtail narrowed his eyes, finally he came up with a solution. “Alright, but the tom and the she-kit will stay up here with us. Fernsong,” Cloudtail called, addressing the young tom, “You will go with the she-cat to retrieve her other two kits. It’s time for you to prove yourself a warrior.” 

Fernsong was at Holly’s side instantly, right in front of the opening to the tunnels. “I will,” he replied in a quivering whisper so that only Holly heard him. 

“Well what are you waiting for?” Holly asked him once he seemed to have regained his courage. “Let’s go.” When he didn’t answer she leaped into the dark tunnel with the sun past its peak behind her. 


	5. Chapter 5

“Bramblestar!” Cloudtail called. “We found some intruding loners in the tunnels.” Cats poked their heads out of their dens. “They have three kits with them,” he added. Bramblestar came out of his cave den on top of Highledge, Squirrelflight at his tail.

Holly swept her tail around the three kits and pulled them close. They didn’t protest, their eyes round as the Clan cats observed them. Leaves sidled closer to her, his tail bristling and lashing.

“Why are you in ThunderClan territory?” Bramblestar asked. The kits quivered against her, but Holly knew he was kind underneath the surface.  _ I don’t know, something to do with a prophecy. We just appeared here one day, because we fell from StarClan and had kits. _

“Bramblestar,” Squirrelflight hissed under her breath, though Holly could hear her because of her time in the tunnels. “She has kits with her,” Squirrelflight continued, “at least offer her and her kits a night, they can leave in the morning.” “What about the tom?” Bramblestar hissed back. “We could put him in the place where we kept Sol.”

Movement behind the two caught Holly’s attention. Jayfeather came out of the Medicine Cat den with Alderheart behind him, and a strange gray she-cat with green eyes and a sliced ear tip behind him. As soon as the gray she-cat saw Ivypool she ran over and started asking questions. 

Jayfeather nodded towards his den and swiveled one of his ears around to listen in on the conversation. 

“Come on,” Bramblestar said, shoving Leaves into the stone cave that Sol had been in many moons ago, before the Dark Forest attacked. Squirrelflight came up beside Holly, leading her to the Nursery. “You’re going to stay in the Nursery tonight, Daisy will take care of you and your kits.” Squirrelflight pushed Holly and her kits through the bramble wall and into the warm nursery. 

__ Mud squeaked in excitement, forgetting his earlier terror. “It’s so warm in here!” he cried, rolling around in the dirt. Firefly joined him, also squeaking. Clover looked up at Holly with wide amber eyes. 

“Who’s that?” she asked, glancing at a long-furred, cream-colored she-cat laying in the corner. 

“That’s Daisy,” Holly whispered into her daughter’s ear. “She takes care of this place.” “Oh,” Clover said, looking relieved. Holly looked at her daughter strangely,  _ Are Spottedleaf’s memories back coming to her?  _

Then Daisy came up to her with warm eyes. “What nice kits you have here,” she said. Daisy dipped her head to Clover, who backed away and gave a small hiss.

“There used to be four,” Holly told her calmly, and without looking at her.

“Oh!” Daisy said sharply. “I’m sorry, I don’t think I’ve ever felt anything like that!” “I know,” Holly muttered under her breath. 

Daisy slipped out of the den and returned with two balls of moss. The larger one was tucked between her chest and head, and the smaller one, that was dripping with water, was held carefully between her teeth. She let go of the water-soaked moss and it landed with a  _ plop _ . Then she began to skillfully make a nest out of the larger moss ball.

Firefly and Mud were watching Daisy do this with interest. “She’s doing it the same way you do it Mama,” Mud said. “Mother’s instinct I guess,” Holly said softly. She couldn’t tell them that she had learned her nest making skills from Daisy.

Daisy looked up sharply, “How would you know if I had kits? I could just be working here for my own reasons,” she said rather defensively. “Um…” Holly looked around for evidence. “Mother’s instinct,” she said hopefully.

“Alright,” Daisy said, looking suspicious. Then she blinked and seemed to discard the thought. “Well here you go, a clean nest.” Daisy had finished the nest and stepped away, letting Firefly and Mud start bouncing on it.

“Wow! Have you ever felt anything so cushiony?” Firefly asked her brother. “No!” he shouted back. And they both burst into a fit of giggles that left them lying on the moss. 

Only what seemed like a few minutes later Holly had calmed all the kits, except Clover, who was already down and asleep. Daisy had flopped down onto her own nest muttering, “I’ve never seen such an energetic bunch,” but she was smiling. 

Holly could tell the sun had set when she heard someone slip through the bramble entry. “Hollyleaf,” Jayfeather hissed. 

Holly’s eyes snapped open and she checked to make sure none of her kits were awake. Once she was certain, Holly slid out of their cluster and followed Jayfeather to the Medicine Cat’s den. 

Alderheart was awake and tending to Leafpool, who was laying on a nest of moss and licking at a soaked moss ball at her nephew’s pleading, but probably only because she thought he was Squirrelflight.

Holly looked around.  _ Briarlight must be in the warrior’s den, _ Holly thought when she didn’t see the young, and unfortunately crippled, brown she-cat.

In the corner Alderheart still waged his quiet war with Leafpool. “Alright Squirrelflight, I’ll drink it, but only because you’re my sister,” Leafpool said wearily. “That’s it,” Alderheart praised. “You’re doing great.” “Don’t be silly Crowfeather,” Leafpool muttered.

Holly shot a look at her brother but he took advantage of his blindness and didn’t answer her. Or maybe because Alderheart was asking him a question. 

“Jayfeather… What’s  _ she  _ doing here?” 

_ I’m his sister that’s why. Oh and I’m here to see my mother, who’s dying and deliriously talking about our father. _

“She’s here about her kits,” Jayfeather said patiently, like he was talking to a kit. Alderheart seemed to have the same idea. “I’m not a kit,” he mumbled.

“What was that?” Jayfeather asked. Alderheart didn’t say anything. “I didn’t think so. Now, don’t spill a drop that water!” Alderheart hastily got back to work.

“Come on Holly.” Jayfeather lead to the corner of the den with herbs. 

In a whisper Jayfeather started telling Holly about their mother. “She’s been acting strange lately. Do you think she’s dying? Should Crowfeather be here? What did they tell you up there?” Before Holly could even get a word out Jayfeather yelled, “Stop right there!”

Holly backed up a few paces, but the hairs on her tail tip sensed something so she spun around only to see Alderheart a step away. Leafpool was sleeping peacefully behind him. 

“I thought I told you to stay with Leafpool,” Jayfeather said, annoyed.

“She’s fine,” Alderheart insisted. “Why aren’t you telling me anything? And why is Leafpool talking about ‘Crowfeather’? Isn’t that your father?” 

Jayfeather seemed to deflate. Holly had never seen him give up so easily before, ever. __

_ Leafpool’s sickness must be upsetting him more than he lets on, _ Holly realized. 

Holly looked down at her young cousin and almost couldn't bear to keep her secret any longer. Jayfeather’s head suddenly whipped up and he glared at her with empty eyes. She opened her mouth to tell Alderheart anyway when a rustling behind her made Holly spin around again. 

Holly didn't know what had slipped through the barrier until she heard Leafpool mumble, “Go away kits.”

It was Firefly and Mud. They had woken up when the warmth Holly gave them had cooled. Clover, the picture of innocence, had stayed in the nursery to wait for them. 

“What are you doing here?” Holly asked, trying to stay calm. 

“We woke up and you were gone so we followed your scent and it lead here and there was another scent that smelled like Papa and you and then we got here and smelled her,” Mud pointed to Leafpool but didn’t stop talking, “she smells like and you and him,” Mud turned to Jayfeather and finished his long explanation without breathing. 

“Well I smell like her,” Jayfeather said, pointing to Leafpool, “because I’m her son.” 

“But-” Firefly started to ask why Jayfeather smelled like Holly when Jayfeather said, 

“I thought we agreed on no more questions. Now be quiet and stay near Leafpool.”

Firefly and Mud obliged, even though they didn’t know who Leafpool was or why they were taking orders from a strange cat who smelled a bit like their mother. 

“Now,” Jayfeather started again, “where were we?”

“Leafpool’s sickness?” Alderheart offered. “No, before that.” “Leafpool’s sickness,” Holly said confidently. “What was I going to tell you after Leafpool’s sickness?” Jayfeather asked himself. 

“Why we’re here?” piped up a small voice from behind Alderpaw. 

Holly craned her neck to see behind Alderheart, her neck was getting tired of twisting around all the time. Firefly was standing directly behind Alderheart so that no one would see her, not even Alderheart. Holly looked around for Mud but she couldn’t see any sign of Firefly’s brother. 

“Firefly, where’s your brother?”

Alderheart turned around to look for Mud by Leafpool and Jayfeather started sniffing the air. Holly just stared at the wall and couldn’t help but remember Rain’s scream and his broken body in front of her. She was broken out of her trance by Jayfeather telling Leafpool to stay lying down, walking around would only made her headache worse.

“Nonsense,” Leafpool said,  _ Her voice is a lot clearer than it had been, _ Holly thought. “I must tell Hollyleaf about her kits.” Alderheart was a bit away and pretended not to hear what Leafpool had said, but one of his ears flicked, as if shooing away a fly. Leafpool began to recite something in a voice that was not her own. 

“One deaf and dead. One alive but dead. One a kit leader. One a curious kit warrior. Kits must stay away from herbs.” Then Leafpool suddenly slumped and Jayfeather lead her back to her nest. “Kits could get sick from eating herbs,” Leafpool muttered again. 

Turning to look at the herbs in the wall Holly saw a shadow with ginger and white patches and earth with a white stomach. Realizing what she was seeing Holly nearly screamed, “Firefly, Mud, get away from there!”

Alderpaw and Jayfeather turned to look at the herb wall simultaneously and saw Mud collapse. 

Rushing over to her son, Holly asked Firefly panicky, “What did he eat?” Firefly’s eyes were wide as she pawed a half eaten leaf with tiny black seeds rolling out of it.

“Are those poppy seeds or foxglove seeds?” Holly asked Alderheart, who was the closest to her. 

“Poppy seeds thank StarClan. He didn’t eat that many, let him sleep it off.” 

“We won’t be able to leave tomorrow then,” Holly said. 

“I’m sure Bramblestar will understand,” Alderheart said comfortingly, laying a tail over Holly’s back as one might do for a grieving cat. 

Holly shrugged off Alderheart's tail and looked to Jayfeather. “This is curiously like what happened to Snowfur, Bluestar’s sister when they were kits,” was all he said. Jayfeather was halfway out the bramble entrance, he was probably glaring up at the stars if Holly knew him. 

When Holly leaned down to pick Mud up she could see his features more clearly.  _ The sun’s coming up,  _ she realized with a start. Beckoning to Firefly with her tail Holly took Mud by his scruff and hurried out of the Medicine Cat’s den. 

She made it back into the nursery before too many cats could see her and curled Mud up next to Clover, who had fallen back to sleep at some point. Firefly snuggled onto Mud’s other side and almost immediately fell asleep.

Holly stayed awake a while longer, watching her kits sleep, they were all breathing, thankfully. Drowsiness was collecting on Holly’s eyelids when Daisy’s started to flutter open. Holly set her head on her paws and pretended to be asleep. She listened until Daisy had gone outside, and then listened some more until all the noises had faded away.


	6. Chapter 6

Days passed quickly. Days of watching Mud’s chest rise and fall in the pattern of deep sleep. And days of Daisy and Squirrelflight coming to check on Holly and the kits. Leaves was still not allowed to see her or the kits.  _ He probably doesn’t even know what happened other than Clan gossip,  _ Holly thought once. 

Firefly was uncharacteristically quiet, too busy watching Mud to play with Clover, who was being strangely playful. 

Finally, there was change. Mud sighed. When the sun rose a bit higher his eyes opened. He yawned. 

“You’re awake!” yowled Firefly, as she leaped onto him. Clover ran over to her littermates and jumped on them both. 

“Gotcha!”

Daisy laughed. Holly hadn’t noticed her come in. 

“You’ve got yourself a pawful with those three!” 

“Usually Leaves helps me and we take turns watching them.” She said as her kits tumbled around the nursery. “And Clover isn't usually this energetic,” she added.

Daisy was silent for a while. “Now that he's awake you'll be able to leave soon,” she said. Holly looked up, she knew this was going to happen eventually, but she was still sad.  _ I guess I wanted to see how everyone was doing before I left,  _ Holly thought. 

“Thank you for being so kind, Daisy. We appreciate all you've done for us.” Clover abandoned her playing and walked over to Holly on silent feet. “We’re leaving?” she asked, disappointment in her voice. 

“Yes,” Holly answered.  _ I hate it when she looks at me like that.  _ Clover was giving her mother the “look” as Leaves put it. Clover’s pupils nearly filled her irises and her head tilted so she was almost impossible to resist. Clover had figured out a while ago that if she did the “look” then she would have a better chance of getting what she wanted. 

Daisy brought Holly something to eat and asked if the kits ate meat yet. “Yes,” Holly answered, the kits got their first taste of red meat. As they were finishing their meal Bramblestar came into the nursery. 

The kits looked up as he came in, immediately silent as if they had been taught to do so their entire lives. 

Bramblestar cleared his throat and asked Daisy if she could leave while he talked to Holly and her kits. Daisy nodded her head and left the nursery, giving Holly a worried look before forcing her way through the bramble barrier.

“I see your son has recovered from eating those poppy seeds,” Bramblestar said awkwardly. Holly straightened herself into a sitting position and asked with the most feelingless voice she could muster, “And?” 

Clover flinched back, she had never heard her mother talk with such coldness before. Mud and Firefly were cowering too. Then Firefly regained her confidence, and boldly stepped in front of Mud as Bramblestar began to explain when they would leave. 

“At sunhigh,” Bramblestar said as an answer to Holly’s question, “When?” He looked out of the bramble entrance and, very suddenly, yelled, “Squirrelflight!” “Yes?” came Squirrelflight’s voice from outside.“Let the tom out from the prison den! Have some warriors guarding him!” 

“Yes Bramblestar.” A few moments later Holly and her kits were standing outside the nursery watching Leaves be led out of the prison. Squirrelflight was leading the guards to the center of the camp. 

“Holly!” Leaves shouted. “Now’s the time!” 

Everybody watching swiveled around to look at Holly, even her kits. What was going on? What was she keeping from them? Holly was confused, until she remembered who she was.

Another voice sounded close to where Leaves was being held. “Tell them Holly,” Jayfeather encouraged. _Stay out of this Jayfeather,_ Holly thought. Holly sighed and told Jayfeather to tell the ThunderClan the prophecy. And he did, the Clan was silent for the first time that morning. It took a while for Jayfeather to recite the prophecy and he said it in a voice that wasn’t his own. As he described the two cats that came down from StarClan Holly felt the eyes of many cats on her and Leaves.

When Jayfeather finished there was more silence. The silence was broken by an apprentice who asked, “Are they going to become part of the Clan?”

There was a clamor but Jayfeather replied clearly and nonchalantly, “They’re already ThunderClan, because they were ThunderClan to begin with.” Everyone’s eyes were on Holly and Leaves again. 

Squirrelflight stepped forward to face Holly. “It can’t be,” she whispered, but her eyes told a different story. Bramblestar came up behind his deputy and mate.

“Jayfeather!” he barked. “I’ll get her, Bramblestar.” Jayfeather stalked off to the Medicine Cat’s den. 

Squirrelflight knelt down to see the kits properly. “How old are they?” she asked. “About five moons I should think.” “They’ll be apprenticed soon. Who should their mentors be?” Squirrelflight directed this question at Bramblestar, straightening up to look him in the eye. He licked her nose, something he rarely did considering Squirrelflight’s purr. “We’ll think about that when they’re almost six moons old,” Bramblestar promised. 

The camp was filled with quiet chatter, but the talk was drowned out by the rough coughing someone with whitecough. Leafpool was being guided by Jayfeather through the crowd. As Leafpool drew closer her coughing subsided, she took one look at Holly and said, “My daughter has come home.” 


	7. Chapter 7

“Fireflypaw! Mudpaw! Cloverpaw! Fireflypaw! Mudpaw! Cloverpaw!” The three kits, now apprentices, were standing proudly next to their mentors. As the Clan settled down two of Holly’s kits were led outside to scout the territory and hunt, while the third stayed behind to clean out the nursery, the Apprentice’s den, and the Elder’s den. But she didn’t mind, it seemed to her like she had done this many times before. Holly was watching her youngest daughter with a knowing look in her eye. 

_ Because she has,  _ Holly thought, remembering who her daughter had been before she was Cloverpaw.  _ It’s like what happened to Cinderheart I suppose.  _ The gray tabby she-cat was sitting next to her old friend in front of the Warrior’s den. “We have a lot of catching up to do,” Cinderheart had explained when Holly and Leaves had been welcomed into the Clan. 

“Did you know, Hollyleaf, that this is the second time you’ve left and come back?” Cinderheart asked her as the sun cast red shadows over the ground. “It has crossed my mind,” Holly answered. Everyone called her Hollyleaf except Leaves and her kits.

“Hollyleaf?” 

“Yes, Cinderheart?” 

“Where’s that story you promised me?” 

Holly had to laugh, Cinderheart never forgot a promise.  _ Speaking of promises...  _ a part of Holly’s brain whispered, but Holly barely noticed it, she was very wrapped up in telling Cinderheart the rest of her story. 

The moon was rising by the time Holly finished telling Cinderheart her story. The three new apprentices were already in the new nests prepared by Cloverpaw. Only the night patrol and the camp guard were awake besides Holly and Cinderheart. 

“Um… Hollyleaf?” 

“Yeah?” 

“How’s Cinderpelt?” Cinderheart asked in a whisper, as if anyone would care if she asked. Holly smiled and closed her eyes, trying to remember the last time she had seen Leafpool’s mentor. 

Holly opened her eyes. “She’s doing well, and watching every move you make.” 

“Oh, stop it!” The guard looked over at them and Holly yawned. “It’s getting late, we should get some sleep.” Cinderheart yawned too, 

“Alright. You’re sleeping with us in the Warrior’s den aren’t you?” 

“Of course, Leaves is already there.” 

“Who is your mysterious mate anyway?” Cinderheart asked, ever curious. 

“You could say I’ve known him since I died for the first time.” Cinderheart paused, confused, and Holly slipped past her into the den. 

Leaves was sleeping on the outskirts of the den.  _ Right, because we don’t have a rank yet,  _ realized Holly. She curled up next to him and fell asleep.  _ Just like in the tunnels, cold,  _ was Holly’s last thought. 

__ Holly woke up before even the dawn patrol.  _ Something is wrong,  _ she thought. Holly got to her paws and began to wash. Leaves was still sleeping beside her, _ I should wake him.  _ Holly touched Leaves with her paw and tried to shake him awake. The cold seeped into her foreleg after a few seconds. 

Snatching her paw back, Holly jumped up, careful not to wake anyone. She hurried out of the Warrior’s den and across to the Medicine Cat’s den. Voices came from inside the den, but Holly was in too much of a hurry to figure out who the voices belonged to.

“Jayfeather!” Holly gasped. Silence met her. For the first time Holly realized who was in the den. 

_ Squirrelflight, Alderpaw, Jayfeather.  _ “Where’s Leafpool?”

“I don’t know or care. She wasn’t here when I woke up. Maybe she’s wandered over to WindClan territory to see Crowfeather or something.” Jayfeather joked. 

“Jayfeather!” Squirrelflight exclaimed. 

“What?” 

“You know where she is!” 

“Fine, fine. She’s at the Moonpool.” 

“She got better fast,” Holly commented, not forgetting why she came. “Yeah. Do you know why?” A thought had been forming in the back of Holly’s head for a while, now she realized it with shocking clarity. “Oh,” she breathed. “What?” Jayfeather said sharply, but Holly was already racing out of the den and back to Leaves.

She nudged him again, but he didn’t respond. Holly put her cheek next to his mouth. A single breath stirred her whiskers, then Leaves went still. 

Jayfeather, Alderpaw, and Squirrelflight had followed her and just arrived as Holly began shouting, “No, no, no, no!” The Warriors who had still been sleeping woke up and glared at Holly until they figured out what was going on.

Holly looked up at Jayfeather. “It’ll be my turn next,” she whispered. Jayfeather nodded. “Get Lionblaze,” he ordered Squirrelflight. As she pelted away toward the forest, Lionblaze was on patrol, Jayfeather came up beside Holly and put his tail over her back. “Do want to bury him next to the tunnel?” Holly nodded and asked shakily, “Rain?” 

“Yes, next to Rain.” Jayfeather lead her out of the den and signaled the Warriors in the den to bring Leaves’ lifeless body. Holly let herself be supported by Jayfeather and didn’t care as cats came out to stare. 

Lionblaze’s patrol came into the camp. Fireflypaw and Cloverpaw were part of it. When they saw all the cats gathered around their mother they came running.

“Holly!” Fireflypaw shouted. A path cleared for the two apprentice’s, leading them straight to their unmoving father. Bramblestar was in the process of asking Holly if she wanted a vile or to just bury him now when her daughters came in. 

“Mama?” The question that came from Cloverpaw’s mouth seemed to bring Holly out of her shock. It was the only word Rain ever said before he died. The two apprentices hurried over to their mother and let Holly bury her nose in their fur. She drank up their warm scent. 

_ Only two.  _ “Where’s Mud?” she asked panicky. “Out hunting,” Fireflypaw said nervously, taking a step back. Before anyone could stop her, namingly Fireflypaw, Cloverpaw muttered, “Near the lake.” Holly’s eyes went wide, and she started to shake. 

Jayfeather came up behind her and whispered in her ear, “Let me take you to the Medicine den and get you something for your shock.” Holly nodded, letting Jayfeather lead her numbly. She didn’t, or she would’ve seen Fireflypaw run into the forest and stopped her. Cloverpaw tried to stop her of course, but her sister was faster and fueled by anger. 

Holly woke up gasping for breath. There was shouting outside.  _ Perhaps that was what woke me?  _ Holly thought hopefully, but she knew it wasn’t.  _ What is all the shouting about?  _ she wondered. Jayfeather wasn’t in the den.  _ He’s probably outside,  _ Holly reassured herself. 

As she stood up a wave of dizziness hit her. Holly swayed until she felt as though she could walk without throwing up.  _ When was the last time I ate?  _ she asked herself absently.

When Holly emerged into the center of the camp all she could see was chaos. 

Blood was soaking into the ground and bodies were strewn everywhere. Holly took a deep breath and smelled ShadowClan. She bared her teeth and her fur stood on end until she looked twice her normal size. Then another scent reached her nose. Holly knew at once where this scent had come from. 

_ DarkClan.  _

ThunderClan drove the new so called ‘Clan’ and tended to the wounded. Holly quickly scanned the camp for her kits. Spotting Fireflypaw and Cloverpaw she ran over to them. Fireflypaw had two scratches on her left ear and a small wound just above her nose. Cloverpaw didn’t look too injured, she had some tufts of fur missing and blood welling from what looked like a shallow cut. 

Holly liked their injuries until they stopped bleeding. “Where’s Mudpaw?” Holly asked. Fireflypaw nodded toward the nursery, “Guarding some ShadowClan cats that aren’t very injured. With his mentor,” she added when she saw Holly’s horrified expression. 

“He’ll be fine,” Cloverpaw assured her mother. “Just a few apprentices and two Warriors.” Holly nodded,  _ I seem to be doing that a lot these days,  _ she realized. Fireflypaw suddenly burst out laughing. Holly glanced at Cloverpaw, hoping she had told her sister a joke. Cloverpaw just shook her head when she saw the question in Holly’s eyes. 

“Sorry,” Fireflypaw said when she noticed the strange looks she was getting from more than her mother and sister. “Just nerves I guess.” Holly thought she heard a quiet giggling, but when she looked around she didn’t see anyone. Shrugging it off, Holly turned her attention back to Cloverpaw, who was telling about some amazing attack she did on one of Darktail’s fighters. 

Yowling broke the quiet talking in the camp. It had come from the nursery. 

Holly glanced at her two daughters, Fireflypaw was already up and Cloverpaw was right behind her. They ran to the nursery, the yowling had stopped and the camp was silent.  _ Is that good or bad? _ Holly wondered as she and Fireflypaw and Cloverpaw ran as fast as they could in the crowded camp. 

When they got to the place where the prisoners were being held Cloverpaw let out a gasp. The ShadowClan warriors and an apprentice lay dead on the ground. Mudpaw’s mentor was nowhere to be seen and Mudpaw… Mudpaw stood in the thick of it, two ShadowClan apprentices standing on either side of him. 

“Mud…” Holly started, but was unable to continue the sentence. 

“What has happened here?” Fireflypaw finished for her. 

“Umm…” Mudpaw said, hastily glancing at one of the ShadowClan apprentices next to him. Holly noticed the apprentice and sighed, “What are your names?” The cat Mudpaw had been talking to stepped forward, “My name is Falconpaw, and this is… Lilyshadow.” The other apprentice next to Mudpaw stepped forward as well. She took four steps. 

On each step she grew a little, until she was a full grown dark brown tabby she-cat. Fireflypaw let out a gasp. 

“Hello my dear, I know you go by a different name these days so I'll call you by that name. It's so nice to meet you again Hollyleaf, I doubt you remember me, but I remember you. What was your question? Was it, ‘What happened here?’ It was? I'll answer your question then, I happened!”

Lilyshadow’s pelt grew dark and transparent. A hunk of ear disappeared from her head, two more notches on her right ear appeared. A scar on her left back leg and another scar running along her side from her left shoulder to her left haunch.

“I was told all about you,” Lilyshadow continued. “I think you can guess where.” 

Holly had gotten the answer to that question when she saw the scar across Lilyshadow’s side.

“There’s only one way you could’ve gotten that scar and lived, you’re in the Dark Forest.” 

“Was, dearie,” Lilyshadow corrected. “I was cast out after the Great Battle.” 

“The Great Battle,” Fireflypaw echoed, a gleam shone in her mismatched eyes. Lilyshadow whipped her head around, “Do you remember it my dear? Do you remember your rage over Sandstorm’s luck? Remember how that StarClan she-cat came to her aid?” As Lilyshadow said this she cast a glare at Cloverpaw, only Holly saw it, though. 

_ She knows who Cloverpaw is!  _ Holly realized.  _ Fireflypaw is a reincarnation too? Who attacked Sandstorm, it was before I died, right? _

“I was at the Council of the Dark Forest Warriors, they didn’t see me though.” When Lilyshadow saw Fireflypaw’s confusion she added, “You were there too, Ma- Fireflypaw.” Holly narrowed her eyes,  _ Who does Lilyshadow think Fireflypaw is? _ Holly looked down at her daughter, but didn’t see anything about her that made Holly think  _ Dark Forest.  _

Lilyshadow hadn’t noticed Holly’s glance at Fireflypaw. “You pleaded for mercy and told you only joined the Dark Forest because your kits were taken from you. Then you were hysterical and yelled at Bluestar, saying that her kits survived while your’s didn’t. They eventually gave you a new life because they have such weak hearts. Typical StarClan behavior.” 

Footsteps came from the other side of the nursery and Leafpool padded into view. “Are you ShadowClan cats alright?” she asked. Holly stared at her mother, who was looking right at Lilyshadow.  _ Leafpool can’t see her,  _ Holly realized, silently breathing a sigh of relief. 

Lilyshadow grinned, knowing Leafpool couldn’t see her. The Dark Forest she-cat whispered something in Fireflypaw’s ear, whatever it was Fireflypaw’s eyes glowed malevolently when Lilyshadow pulled away. 

Already being pale enough to be mistaken for a shadow, Lilyshadow slipped behind Leafpool and pounced on top of her. Leafpool let out a yowl of alarm, frantically spinning around to locate her attacker. Fireflypaw was closest to Leafpool, but she just sat down and smiled wickedly. So Holly launched herself over to her mother. There was only one problem, Lilyshadow made herself fade into Leafpool’s pelt. 

Pounding came from the other side of the nursery and Jayfeather, Lionblaze, and Squirrelflight appeared. Jayfeather’s eyes flashed and it seemed as though he could see, if only for a moment. “Dark Forest,” he hissed. 

Cackling filled the air and frightened yowls came from the clearing. Leafpool fell to the ground, limp. Squirrelflight and Jayfeather rushed over to her. Lionblaze and Holly circled a now visible Lilyshadow. The apprentices, minus Fireflypaw, huddled together. Fireflypaw had somehow fallen out of her trance, and looked brokenly at Lilyshadow. The Dark Forest she-cat felt the look and faltered long enough for Lionblaze jump on top of her. “And stay down,” he growled.

Jayfeather looked up from Leafpool, unnoticed by everyone, and gasped quietly. “No.”


	8. Chapter 8

Bramblestar came barreling around the nursery. Saw Leafpool bleeding from several wounds, Squirrelflight and Jayfeather trying to staunch the blood flow. Mudpaw and some ShadowClan apprentice huddling together, two ShadowClan Warriors and an apprentice lying dead in the bushes. And Fireflypaw, Cloverpaw, and Holly watching Lionblaze hold down what seemed to be thin air. 

But Bramblestar looked closely and saw Lilyshadow. 

“Dark Forest!” he gasped. Lilyshadow looked up at him and glared. “Yes, and now that we all know I’m here, can you please tell your  _ son _ to get off me?”

Bramblestar reeled back as if he’d been stung. Squirrelflight also yanked her head up from inspecting Leafpool. “I know everything, Bramblestar, dear. Just because I’m evil doesn’t mean I can’t see,” Lilyshadow said with an innocent tilt of her head. 

“You probably know everything about me and my father, too,” Bramblestar mumbled. “Of course I do, I was there. 

“Poor Hawkfrost was heartbroken, or as heartbroken as he could be without a heart,” Lilyshadow whispered with mock sympathy. This obviously hit Bramblestar hard, because Bramblestar leaped at the Dark Forest warrior, still being held down by Lionblaze. 

“Lionblaze, let her up,” Bramblestar said with a meaningful look at Lionblaze. Lionblaze nodded and slowly got off Lilyshadow.

As soon as Lionblaze’s weight was off of the she-cat, dark gray clouds filled the sky above the ThunderClan camp. While everyone looked up, Lilyshadow let out a cackling laugh and promptly disappeared. Her face appeared in the clouds with a manic smile. 

“Be  _ good _ , dear Firefly,” Lilyshadow said sarcastically before vaporizing into the sky. The clouds vanished along with the she-cat, leaving a silence over ThunderClan.

Fireflypaw let out a guttural scream, it broke the silence and echoed off the walls of ThunderClan’s camp. A few birds took off from the trees on top of the hollow. 

Holly whipped her head around and saw her eldest daughter lying limp on the ground. “No,” Holly whispered, she then ran over to Fireflypaw and tried to wake her up. Mudpaw left Falconpaw’s side and joined Holly in trying to wake his littermate up. 

Cloverpaw was slowly backing away from her sister, but no one noticed. Cloverpaw backed up until brambles poked at her hindquarters. She was besieged by visions of a thick-furred tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat with a dark translucent pelt and hate-filled amber eyes.  _ No, her name is Mapleshade, _ Cloverpaw thought, unsure how she knew it. 

Mapleshade was facing an unfamiliar pale ginger she-cat. Their voices were silent, but Cloverpaw could see the hate in the Dark Forest she-cat’s eyes. 

_ How did I know Mapleshade is part of the Dark Forest?  _ Cloverpaw wondered.  _ What is the Dark Forest?  _

Another tortoiseshell she-cat with stars sparkling on her fur dragged Mapleshade off the pale ginger she-cat. Mapleshade smiled sarcastically at the tortoiseshell with stars on her pelt. 

Suddenly Cloverpaw could hear, but she was staring straight into Mapleshade’s eyes.

“Spottedleaf!” Mapleshade hissed. “Why didn’t you let me kill her? She stole Firestar’s love for you.” 

“There was nothing to steal. Sandstorm made him happy!” said the star-flecked tortoiseshell, Spottedleaf.

Mapleshade lunged at Spottedleaf, and sliced the Medicine Cat’s throat open.  _ How did I know Spottedleaf was a Medicine Cat? _ Cloverpaw asked herself frantically as the world turned blurry around Spottedleaf. 

A flame-colored head with shimmering green eyes appeared above Spottedleaf. “Please don’t go,” he sobbed. “You promised you’d be there to welcome me.” 

Cloverpaw felt Spottedleaf give a tiny shake of her head. “That was never going to happen, my love. I cannot journey with you anymore. I’m so sorry.” The ginger tom pawed at Spottedleaf’s fading body desperately. “No! I still need you!”

A new voice came into the conversation, “Let her go.” “Yellowfang?” The flame-colored tom looked up, his green eyes pleading. “Don’t let her disappear. Please.” “This was her destiny.” Yellowfang, a dark gray she-cat with a flat muzzle and long fur, came into Spottedleaf’s view, and touched her muzzle to the ginger tom’s forehead. “Let her follow it.” 

The tom’s voice broke as he said, “But she said she’d wait for me in StarClan!” Spottedleaf opened her mouth to say, “I’ll always be in your heart, Firestar.” Instead, a gasp escaped her lips and Cloverpaw watched as the world became dark for Spottedleaf. 

Then the darkness gradually turned to dawn and Cloverpaw was standing at the edge of a clearing. Only a few fox-lengths ahead of her were three cats, two were toms and one was a she-cat. One tom was gray with darker speckles, the other tom, who was standing next to the she-cat, was ginger and white, and the she-cat was all black. The ginger and white tom and black she-cat were achingly familiar, but Cloverpaw couldn’t tell where she had seen them before. The tom reminded her desperately of her father, Leaves, and the she-cat gave Cloverpaw the same feeling her mother gave her. 

The she-cat was doing most of the talking with the gray tom. She couldn’t hear what they were saying. 

_ Maybe I’m too far away to hear them, _ Cloverpaw wondered.  _ But I don’t want to be seen, _ she thought, overruling the ideas of sneaking closer in a clearing without cover. While she thought the gray tom left the two other cats and walked directly toward the underbrush where Cloverpaw was hiding.

Cloverpaw ducked behind a tree and waited for him to pass. The tom didn’t seem ready to leave yet, because as soon as he was out of sight of the other two cats, he turned around and hid under a flowering bush. 

The gray tom didn’t have to wait long before a few young trees and bushes shook and four cats came out. Cloverpaw recognized three of the cats as Sandstorm, Firestar, and Yellowfang. The fourth cat was a pale blue-gray she-cat, her blue eyes carried a hint of deep sorrow. To Cloverpaw she was unfamiliar but familiar at the same time.

As Yellowfang came into the clearing she glared at the tree Cloverpaw was hiding behind, or the bush the gray tom was hiding under. Either way the dark gray she-cat developed a sudden gleam in her amber eyes. The gleam disappeared as suddenly as it had come, though, when the black she-cat and white and ginger tom looked up at the four cats. 

Their voices were silent, so when the blue-gray she-cat spoke Cloverpaw almost missed what she said entirely. “Hollyleaf, you’re expecting kits.”  _ Hollyleaf? But that’s what the other ThunderClan cats call Holly…  _ The black she-cat also seemed surprised, whatever anyone said next was lost to Cloverpaw. 

She watched her mother and assumed father turn transparent before her eyes. However, before they became completely see-through a wispy, pale blue light came out of nowhere and whizzed into Hollyleaf’s side. Hollyleaf stumbled and fell over unconscious. The white and ginger tom knelt next to her and they both vanished. 

Cloveraw’s vision turned white and she woke up laying on a moss nest, Fireflypaw laying next to her. Cloverpaw lept up, and scrambled away from her sleeping sister. Her hindquarters bumped into a wall and Cloverpaw whipped around, trying to find her bearings. 

It took a while, but Cloverpaw eventually smelled the calming scents of herbs coming from one of the walls of the den. Underneath the herbs was a faint cat’s scent.  _ Jayfeather isn’t there, _ Cloverpaw realized, sleep still clinging to her eyes.  _ He must have gone to collect herbs.  _

Cloverpaw groggily sat up and turned to leave but Fireflypaw sprang up and whirled to face her sister. Both eyes glowed with amber hatred.

Fireflypaw’s pelt flickered to large patches of ginger and black on top of white instead of small, black and ginger splotches on top of white, but only for half a moment. Still, Cloverpaw recognized the colors from her vision. 

Another form slowly became visible next to Fireflypaw. “Lilyshadow,” Cloverpaw hissed, but Lilyshadow paid her no heed. 

She crouched in front of Fireflypaw. “Do you remember me?” the Dark Forest warrior asked. The amber eyes flashed and Fireflypaw knelt down in front of Lilyshadow. “Of course I do my dear Lily,” she purred. The voice was familiar. 

Cloverpaw hissed as the shadow under Fireflypaw grew and stretched. Fireflypaw looked up, and smiled. “I’m sorry Clover, sister dear, but I have plans to kill you. It’s really simple, just for revenge and all. I’m sure nobody will really mind your absence,” she stated. Fireflypaw unsheathed her claws and stretched. 

“B-but you're my sister. Firefly you wouldn’t hurt me, right? You said we have to be there for each other, and Mama, because Papa and Rain are gone,” Cloverpaw stammered fearfully. Fireflypaw stopped, and her left eye became green again. 

“Cloverpaw?” Fireflypaw asked, then became aware that she wasn’t completely in control over her body, and that Lilyshadow was standing next to her. “Run Clover!” Fireflypaw yowled. Cloverpaw ran out of the Medicine Den and into the clearing. 

It was sunhigh. Cloverpaw dashed out of the medicine cat den and crashed right into Jayfeather. He was carrying a bunch in herbs in his mouth and they all went flying when Cloverpaw crashed into him.

Jayfeather spat the few remaining herbs out of his mouth and hissed, “Can’t you watch where you’re going?” Many other cats watched to see how Cloverpaw would react. She crouched, unknowing of all the eyes on her, tense and staring at the entrance to the Medicine Cat’s den. Jayfeather must’ve sensed her fear because he too, stilled and inhaled a huge breath of air. His eyes widened in shock. 

“She can’t be back,” he whispered. 

The clearing had gone silent. Everyone knew that if Jayfeather was afraid, they’d better be scared too. 

A dark shape broke Cloverpaw out of her trance. It was Holly, and she was pushing her way through the brambles of the Medicine Cat’s den. “Hollyleaf, get back,” Jayfeather hissed. Holly’s only response was a flick of her tail. In that flick, Holly had put the fates of Cloverpaw and Mudpaw with ThunderClan. 

“No,” Cloverpaw whispered. “You can’t die again.” ‘Die again’ rang loud and clear over the cats of ThunderClan. A scream-like yowl came from the Medicine Cat’s den. Holly’s tail bushed out and then her body fell through the brambles with a  _ thump _ . The yowl rose up again, and a very much alive Mapleshade leapt into the clearing. 

Lilyshadow followed behind Mapleshade, leading several more translucent figures out of the den. By the time all the Dark Forest warriors were out of the den, the warriors of ThunderClan that weren’t out patrolling had risen to fight off the Dark Forest again. The elders, queens, and kits were ushered into the middle of the group, as they were surrounded on all sides. 

“Hawkfrost,” Mapleshade’s growl hung in the silence. A lone translucent tom hovered over Holly. His claws were unsheathed and he had a crazed look in his eyes. “Get. Over. Here. Now,” Mapleshade’s words held a threat for Hawkfrost and ThunderClan at the same time. 

When Hawkfrost had rejoined his Dark Forest companions Mapleshade whirled her head around to face ThunderClan. Her lips parted into a manic grin, but as she began to speak her left eye flickered green. Mapleshade froze, her grin gone, but somehow that was worse. Mapleshade shook her head and blinked rapidly, the flickering stopped and her eye returned to amber hatred. 

“Now,” Mapleshade said. “Where shall we begin?” 

__


	9. Chapter 9

Holly pinched her eyes tight and didn’t dare to even breathe. Hawkfrost stared down at her, he was heaving air into his lungs and exhaling a sour stench at a rapid pace. When Mapleshade called him to her Holly almost sighed in relief, but she wanted the Dark Forest cats to think she was dead, so Holly took shallow breaths and listened as the second battle between the living and Dark Forest cats started.

Cloverpaw’s eyes widened and she whipped her head around,  _ We’re surrounded! _ Another battle flashed through Cloverpaw’s mind. A tom with scars leaving tracks all over his face. Cloverpaw remembered his name without batting an eye,  _ Clawface.  _ And he was in the clearing, one of the many translucent cats guarding the ThunderClan cats. 

A sharp pain on her ear tip brought Cloverpaw back to reality. She was slumped against Mudpaw’s shoulder. Jayfeather, who was on her other side, had bitten her ear, but not so hard that it drew blood. 

Mapleshade gave a ragged laugh. “Don’t go having flashbacks during the battle my dear,” the old tortoiseshell said with a cackle. Green flickered in Mapleshade’s left eye again, Mapleshade’s laugh died in her throat and she hissed. The green went out fast. 

A signal went through the Dark Forest warriors and one by one the strongest ThunderClan warriors fell, leaving the elders, queens, and kits on the inside exposed. “Protect the kits!” Jayfeather cried through the yowling, pushing Cloverpaw and Mudpaw into the center of the group. 

“If we still had our powers, Lionblaze would certainly be handy right now,” Jayfeather muttered as he dodged a Dark Forest tom aiming for his back. As soon as Jayfeather’s words left his mouth the darkness that covered his eyes suddenly lifted. Jayfeather stood, dumbstruck and blinking, before he fully grasped what had happened. 

Jayfeather let his mind wander, the Dark Forest warriors though,  _ Kill the Clans. We will have revenge!  _ Frightened queens attacked any Dark Forest warrior that came within a tail-length of their kits. One thought rang out,  _ Oh, Firefly.  _ And Mapleshade’s mind was in a battle with itself. 

“Then this means…” Jayfeather didn’t bother to finish his sentence, he started fighting alongside his clanmates, letting their thoughts flow over him. When his path was clear for a moment, Jayfeather took a chance and raced to the entrance of the camp. Jayfeather managed to call out, “Dovewing!” before a she-cat pulled him back into the fight. 

Somewhere in the forest Dovewing’s ears snapped up. Lionblaze was walking behind her and noticed his former apprentice’s change in attitude. Dovewing could still hear Jayfeather’s call echoing through the forest. Dovewing whipped around as Lionblaze was asking her if everything was alright. Dovewing’s eyes widened and she saw the ThunderClan camp, nestled inside the ancient ravine the Twolegs had made.

“Dovewing, what is it?” Lionblaze asked again, growing worried the longer Dovewing stared into the forest behind them. “Dovewing!” Lionblaze snapped, bringing Dovewing out of her revery and causing the rest of their patrol to stop and walk back towards the two.

Dovewing’s eyes glistened as she whispered, “I can see again.” “What do you-- Oh,” Lionblaze cut himself off as he realized what Dovewing was saying and quietly asked, “What do you see?” Dovewing closed her eyes and saw the horrifying seen again. “They’re fighting,” she whispered. “Who?” Lionblaze asked gently. Dovewing’s eyes opened with a snap. Her answer was so quiet the Lionblaze barely heard it before Dovewing pelted away. 

“Oh no.” And Lionblaze raced after Dovewing, who was now a blurry pale gray shape flitting between trees. Their patrol watched one of their senior warriors leave, confused, until Lionblaze called, “Come on! We’re under attack!” 

The patrol exchanged glances, then followed suit after Lionblaze. 

When the rest of the patrol tore through the entrance barrier and saw the Dark Forest battling ThunderClan inside the camp, they didn’t hesitate before jumping into the fray. 

Holly heard the yowls of battle and slowly shifted her weight from her side to her paws. Then Holly crept along the edges of the battle and leaped in. It wasn’t hard to find Mapleshade, Holly just followed the terrified cries of her clanmates. Holly forced her way out of the crowd and found herself facing Mapleshade’s back. Mapleshade’s tail flicked Holly’s whiskers, and with that Mapleshade whipped around, to be face to face with Holly. Holly started to back away, only to bump into a bramble wall. Evil glinted in Mapleshade’s amber, hate-filled eyes. Mapleshade felt a flash of guilt, which was overcome in a trice, by a wave of madness. Holly gulped, her throat was so dry that she thought that she would choke.

Mapleshade now loomed over Holly. The battle screeches raged on in the background. All her attention was fixed on Holly who was crouched in front of her, bristling with fear. Mapleshade could not control it anymore, her instincts told her that she was bent on killing Holly, who had nowhere to go. “Now is my chance…..to kill her…” All of a sudden, a surge of energy passed through Mapleshade, launching her at Holly. She hooked her claws into Holly’s back, and ran her hind claws through Holly’s pelt and flesh. 

Holly tried to scream, but her voice caught in her throat,and nothing came out. She squirmed in an attempt to escape, only to feel Mapleshade’s claws’ grip tighten and her teeth fasten into Holly’s shoulder. Hollyleaf screeched in pain. Mapleshade rolled Holly onto her back, Her rank breath making Holly’s pelt crawl. The world around Holly was getting hazy, and her whole body ached. Holly was panting for breath, the battle screeches around her growing muffled. “Any last words, dear  _ mother _ ?’’Mapleshade asked menacingly. Holly opened her jaws, but instead of words, blood came gurgling out. “Very well, then-farewell”. At those words, Holly felt Mapleshade’s cold claws slice deep into her neck. Blood gushed out of her wound, as she took a final breath before dying in silence. 

Mapleshade stabbed her claws into Holly’s throat. Fireflypaw’s green eye flickered as she felt control flowing back into her body, she gasped as she felt commotion convulsing inside her. She fell to the ground, her pelt glitching, until it finally stayed fixed as Fireflypaw’s coat. Her green eye was glowing. The battle still raged on, the Dark Forest warriors now in a weaker position than last time she had checked. Jayfeather, Dovewing, and Lionblaze raced through the entrance. They managed to weave through the fray and reach Firefly. The stopped as they reached her, their jaws gaped wide, as they stared at her aghast. Their attention quickly darted toward her paws. For the first time since she was transformed back to Fireflypaw, she noticed that her paws were wet with a warm, sticky, oozy liquid. She looked down, only to be as surprised as Jayfeather, Lionblaze,and Dovewing. Underneath her paw, was the dead, crippled body of Holly-her mother. 

“D-Did I do that?” She stammered, in shock. She was all covered in blood, not her blood though-Holly’s blood. Her claws and teeth were stained red. Her limbs drowned with blood all the way up. She could not believe this, she had killed her own mother. She cried in pain and distress. She yowled so loud that, the battling stopped, and all eyes were directed toward the corner of camp, where she crouched, stunned. Jayfeather only answered her with a muted nod. Jayfeather mustered up enough strength to final say something. “You should probably come to my den so that I can give you herbs for shock.” Firefly nodded, still shocked by the fact that everything had all happened so quickly.

That night after all the Dark Forest cats had left, Fireflypaw ran away. She had pondered the idea while she was recovering in the Medicine Cat Den, and if she left she wouldn't be able to hurt anyone she loved anymore. As she ran through the forest, doubt flooded her mind. What if Mapleshade possessed her again and went back to the camp? She couldn't let that happen, so the young apprentice fled to the tunnels. Mapleshade would never be able to find her way out of them. Never.

When dawn came, panic arose in the camp. Mudpaw awoke to find Cloverpaw prodding him frantically with her paw. “Go away Clover,” he muttered groggily. “Wake up!” Cloverpaw persisted, continuing to prod her brother. “Fireflypaw is gone!” 

That woke Mudpaw up. 

“What?!?!” he nearly shouted. Falconpaw and Twigpaw stirred in their nests, Leafpaw, Larkpaw, and Honeypaw were probably out hunting of patrolling. “What?” he repeated, quieter. Cloverpaw had begun to wash her face. “Hmm? Oh, right.” Cloverpaw stopped washing her face and looked into Mudpaw’s eyes. He had to look away. Cloverpaw began to explain, “Jayfeather woke up in the night to find Firefly’s nest cold and her gone. He told Bramblestar to start a search, but they couldn’t find her. The search parties gave up awhile after sunrise. But I think she probably went to the tunnels where no one can find her.” 

“Wait, what’s going on?” Falconpaw interrupted. He had apparently not been asleep a few moments ago. 

“Our littermate Fireflypaw has gone missing, and Cloverpaw has a hunch that she’s gone down into the tunnels,” Mudpaw replied.

“Well if you’re going, then I'm coming too,” Falconpaw declared stubbornly. 

Cloverpaw tilted her head, considering. Mudpaw thought,  _ No, absolutely not. Please say no Clover.  _ “Yes,” Cloverpaw said. Mudpaw sighed, quite audibly. “We’ll need an extra pair of eyes, it won’t hurt.” Mudpaw looked about ready to say something, but shut his mouth. 

“Alright then, let’s go,” Falconpaw said. But as he approached the Apprentice Den entrance, Ivypool stuck her head through. “Oh, you’re awake? Good,” the gray and white she-cat said. “Could you wake up Twigpaw for me?” Mudpaw, who was closest to the gray apprentice, woke her up and said that Ivypool wanted her. 

Twigpaw sprang up from her nest and bound out of the den. Ivypool hurried to tell the rest of her message before Twigpaw got too far ahead. “Cloverpaw, Mudpaw, you two are off-duty for today. Bramblestar expects that you’ll want to grieve for your mother.” 

Memories from the day before crashed in the littermates’ eyes. They had completely forgotten about the battle. Suddenly the two seemed sad. “Yeah,” Cloverpaw said shakily. “Thanks Ivypool.” When Cloverpaw and Mudpaw looked up Ivypool was already gone. 

Falconpaw sighed. “Oh well, I guess you two are on your own. Ivypool said that my new mentor is waiting for me by the entrance tunnel.” Cloverpaw nodded. “Right, let's go to the uncharted territory where we first entered into the forest.” Falconpaw hesitated before going. “Stay safe, both of you.” Cloverpaw could tell from the way that Falconpaw looked at Mudpaw, that he had directed that statement to him, only. “Okay, let's go through the dirt place tunnel, one at a time, so no cat gets suspicious about where we’re going when we're supposed to be grieving,” Cloverpaw said. “Mudpaw, you go first.”

Mudpaw nodded and slipped through the branches guarding the den. Out in the clearing, Mudpaw kept his head down and stuck to the shadows. Only a few cats saw him. Those that did notice him didn’t question anything, they just paused their conversations and watched Mudpaw go by with pitying eyes. 

Mudpaw made it safely to the dirt place.  _ My turn _ , Cloverpaw thought. While Mudpaw had made his way to the dirt place, Cloverpaw had been watching from just inside the den. She slipped out, knowing that the white fur on her pelt might give her away. Despite Cloverpaw’s instinct to stay in the den, she hugged the stone wall of the camp. The shadows seemed to envelope her, no cat looked up. In the dirt place, Mudpaw was waiting for her. Cloverpaw came in so suddenly and silently that Mudpaw almost jumped. Both of their nerves were frayed and they expected someone to come in at any moment and find them. 

Not wasting any time, Cloverpaw made her way over to the back entrance of the dirt place. “Let's go.”


	10. Chapter 10

Cloverpaw and Mudpaw stood at an entrance to the tunnels. It happened to be the very same one that Holly had brought Clover and Rain out to see the outside world for the first time. It was also where Rain and Leaves were buried. 

The littermates took a moment to remember their father and little brother. When the two were done paying their respects, they looked up simultaneously and nodded at each other. Then, with Mudpaw in the lead, they made their way down into the tunnels. 

Fireflypaw sat by the edge of an underground river, listening as Lilyshadow told her story. 

“I was born right before a bout of sickness, worse than greencough or whitecough, mind you, had come to ShadowClan. I was the only surviving kit of my litter. Most of the apprentices, all of the elders, and some of the warriors, including my parents, died too. I became an apprentice early, like all the other remaining kits in the nursery. I was apprenticed to Lizardfang. I remember being an obedient student, and I learned quickly. 

“Only a few weeks before my warrior ceremony, I took an… umm… interest--” Fireflypaw laughed, she couldn’t help herself. “As I was saying, I took an interest in one of the younger warriors. He was one of the apprentices who had survived the sickness. He was muscular with long, black-and-white fur and amber eyes. When I was around him, I felt protected as well as a bit scared,” Lilyshadow chuckled quietly. “Anyway, his name was Nightclaw, and he had also gained an interest in me.

“One night, a few nights before my ceremony, we “accidentally,” as Nightclaw liked to put it, bumped into each other. We decided to chat, and I discovered that he had lost his parents and his siblings to the sickness as well.” Lilyshadow thought over what she had just said, then shook her head slightly and said, “I almost forgot, all his siblings except for one died in the sickness. Silly me.

“A few moons later, after my ceremony, Nightclaw asked me to be his mate.

“I said yes.” Lilyshadow began to shake, but wasn’t undeterred from telling her story. 

“Two moons later, I had three kits. Marshkit, a brown, black, and white tom-kit, Nettlekit, a dark brown tabby she-kit, and Darkkit, a black-and-white tom-kit, like his father. We named Darkkit after Darkmist, Nightclaw’s only remaining sibling, because she had been just recently killed in a border skirmish. A queen named Silverflame was in the nursery with her own first litter as well.

“Only one had survived birth, she was such a tough little kit, and at least a moon older than my kits. Silverflame and I became fast friends, our kits following suit. 

“When my kits were about three moons old the same sickness that had come when I was a kit came again. It took the youngest kits, some apprentices, older warriors, and elders. One of the kits was Darkkit. A young expecting queen also died. 

“When the sickness left, all the surviving apprentices and kits became warriors or apprentices. Marshkit and Nettlekit became Marshpaw and Nettlepaw. And I went back to the warriors den. 

“A year passed, and in new-leaf I was back in the nursery. Nightclaw had been telling me over and over again that he needed more kits. He didn’t  _ want _ more, he  _ needed _ more. I was alone in the nursery. 

“But I couldn’t stay mad at Nightclaw for long, he gave me four beautiful kits. They were named Owlkit, a dark brown tabby tom-kit, Berrykit, a dark tortoiseshell- and-white she-kit, Dustkit, a brown tom-kit with white speckles, and Ivykit, a black- and-white she-kit with an unusually long tail. 

“Nightclaw became more distant, but I was too busy with the kits to notice. 

“On the night of a Gathering, Nightclaw seemed to be his old self, and urged me to go. He said, “You haven’t been to one in moons.” Typical tom, like it was my fault I was stuck in a nursery for four moons. I finally relented and left Nightclaw in charge of the kits. What a fool I was,” Lilyshadow added in a whisper. 

“Nearly all of ShadowClan had gone to the Gathering. A few elders, the oldest and youngest warriors, and a queen and her day-old kits stayed behind as well. Nightclaw killed all of them.” Fireflypaw gasped. 

Lilyshadow waited for Fireflypaw to stop ogling her like a fish then continued, “Meanwhile, at the Gathering, I sensed something had happened. “My kits,” I whispered. Then I ran out of the clearing. 

“It must’ve seemed strange to the other clans, but they kept going on with the Gathering. Only my older kits, who had just become warriors, Marshleaf and Nettleclaw, followed me. They weren’t quite fast enough though. 

“I entered the ShadowClan camp, everything was eerily quiet, so I didn’t dare call out. Nightclaw stumbled out of the nursery, as if in a daze. Blood stained his paws and muzzle. When he saw me his eyes began to glow unnaturally and he raced toward me. I realized what his intentions were just as he reached me. 

“Marshleaf and Nettleclaw arrived just after I screamed out. Nightclaw had torn a wound in my shoulder that made me bleed until I fainted. 

“Marsh’s yowls woke me up, I sat up feeling slightly light headed, but Nettle’s cry made me look up. Nightclaw had his jaws wrapped around Marsh’s neck, and he was slowly squeezing the life out of him. Marsh tried to fight, but he was growing weaker as Nightclaw bit in. Marshleaf’s blood was soaking into Nightclaw’s muzzle fur and dripping onto the ground. I got shakily to my paws and silently took a step forward, then another. 

“Nettle noticed what I was doing and tried to back away. Unfortunately, Nightclaw noticed her. He dropped Marsh, who twitched once then went still. Marsh’s blood flowed freely and stained the ground an even darker shade of red. 

“Nightclaw began to stalk Nettle, she kept backing up. Then she got herself trapped against a den. I started to move faster, not caring of the blood I was losing. I cried out, “No!” and I launched myself at Nightclaw’s back. I bit into the back of his neck, when I tasted his blood on my tongue, I still didn’t let go. My efforts seemed to be for nothing, he kept moving forward. 

“However, when my teeth touched bone, Nightclaw hissed and rolled onto his back. I was crushed underneath him, but I didn’t let go. “Run,” I begged Nettle with my eyes. “Run and warn them.” Nettle saw my look and ran toward the entrance of ShadowClan’s camp. 

“Nightclaw saw her escaping and wrenched his neck out of my grasp. It left a well sized gap in the back of his neck, but he either didn’t realize it or didn’t care. Soon, the visible flesh began to bleed profusely and little white bits of bone could be seen. I was left lying on my back, trying to catch my breath with a piece of Nightclaw’s neck stuck in my teeth. It was inevitable, Nightclaw caught up to Nettle and killed her much more swiftly than he had killed Marsh. 

“I watched him kill her. Rage boiled inside of me and I spat out the piece of my worthless mate’s neck. I slowly got to my paws, careful not to make a sound as I stalked toward him. Once I was within range I sprung toward Nightclaw’s back, which was facing me. 

“I sailed silently through the air, daring not to even breath. Nightclaw’s senses were clogged with blood, there was no way he could’ve known I was coming. He spun just as I was about to land and stood on his hind legs to catch me. Nightclaw caught me by the scruff, but my weight was too much for him and he fell back onto all fours. 

“He let go of my scruff and dragged his claws down my sides, making sure I stayed where I was.” Lilyshadow paused her story to show Fireflypaw the nearly identical marks along her sides, they were the same ones Nightclaw had given her. 

“I howled with pain, but no one was around to hear me. So I raised my forepaws and dug them into the front of his neck, he didn’t even flinch. I kept my claws in his neck, but slowly raised my back legs up to scrap the insides out of his exposed belly. 

“The fur went flying in chunks, the flesh was a bit more difficult to get through, but I managed. It was almost as if he wanted me to kill him. I didn’t ponder over it. Blood poured out of the wounds I was giving him and mingled with the blood from the wounds he was giving me. Nightclaw still didn’t stop. 

“My claws met his ribcage and a few of my claws snapped off, but I didn’t really care. The rage still tumbled inside me, ready to be let out on a moment’s notice. I hated Nightclaw for trying to kill me, I hated my clan for not coming after me, but I especially hated StarClan for not doing ANYTHING about it!” Lilyshadow glanced down at Fireflypaw, who seemed to have shrunk. Lilyshadow gave her a half hearted smile. “It’s alright Firefly. Things get better,” the brown tabby said softly. 

Lilyshadow cleared her throat and continued telling the story, “Nightclaw was beginning to falter as my claws dug deeper into his throat. Finally, he stopped, fell over onto my chest, and was dead. I forced his body off of me and dragged myself to the nursery. I found all of my kits bleeding, three were already dead, but the youngest, Ivykit, was still, just barely, alive. 

“I curled myself around my kits and cleaned Ivykit’s wounds. 

“When ShadowClan came back from the Gathering they found the camp covered in bodies and blood. Silverflame hurried into the nursery, only to find my dead body and the bodies of my kits. Then Ivykit cried out. Silverflame practically choked with relief. “Thank StarClan one of you is alright,” she sobbed. Silverflame carried my only surviving kit to the Medicine Cat’s den. Ivykit wounds healed and was soon Ivypaw, the only apprentice in the Apprentices’ den for awhile, then became Ivyleaf, the mother and kin to many, including an orphaned, thick-furred grey tabby named Falconpaw. 

“I watched it all from the Dark Forest. 

“A long time ago, when Mapleshade met me on the border between StarClan’s hunting grounds and the Dark Forest, I was so overcome by grief and anger that I chose the Dark Forest before Mapleshade even finished talking. As we entered the forest, I swear that tortoiseshell was laughing. 

“The longer I stayed in the Dark Forest, the more bitter my heart became. I almost killed Nightclaw a second time when our paths crossed once. Everything changed after the Great Battle. When Mapleshade was reincarnated into you, Fireflypaw, some of the bitterness left my heart.”

Fireflypaw stared at Lilyshadow in shock for a long time. “Close your mouth, Firefly, unless you’re trying to catch flies,” Lilyshadow chuckled. Fireflypaw snapped her jaws together and shared a small smile with the Dark Forest warrior. Then the calls of two very familiar cats reached her ears, and her eyes flickered amber. 

“What are  _ they _ doing here,” Mapleshade hissed, making the question sound more like a statement. Fireflypaw’s body rippled and stretched, turning into Mapleshade’s pelt. Lilyshadow stayed fixed to her spot by the river, eyes widening as a foreboding sense went through her. “Oh no,” the she-cat found herself murmuring. 

“Would you look at that,” an all too familiar voice cackled from somewhere in the shadows. “It’s Mudpaw and Cloverpaw, or should I say no one and  _ Spottedleaf _ ?” Mudpaw took a hesitant step in front of his sister, but he spoke without fear. “Come out here and show yourself, Mapleshade,” he hissed. 

There was a pause, then, “Alright, young apprentice.”

Mapleshade stepped out of the shadows, her amber eyes gleaming in the dark and a cruel smile upon her lips. Cloverpaw found herself trembling just looking at them.  _ How can her eyes hold so much hate?  _ Cloverpaw wondered. “There are many things you have yet to understand, Clover,” a voice whispered in her ear. Cloverpaw whipped around and saw Lilyshadow behind her. Leaping back from the almost transparent she-cat, Cloverpaw missed the look of sad desperation in Lilyshadow’s venom-green eyes. 

Mudpaw suddenly yanked Cloverpaw back just as Mapleshade lunged towards her only to stop as Fireflypaw regained control of her body. Lilyshadow had disappeared somehow when Mapleshade/Fireflypaw had tried to kill Cloverpaw.

“No... stop.. I-I can’t… please..” Fireflypaw gasped. Her pelt was flickering between her’s and Mapleshade's and her eyes started to glow. She then yowled in pain as Mapleshade hissed and clamped down hard on her leg. 

“Firefly!” Mudpaw yelled and bit Mapleshade’s tail. 

“Clover, go back!” he screamed at her as he was flung into a tunnel wall by his attacker. Cloverpaw froze.  _ What should I do? Mud isn’t strong enough to fight Mapleshade on his own!  _ Cloverpaw made her split-second decision and raced out of the tunnels toward the Thunderclan camp, not looking back to see if Mudpaw was safe and keeping Mapleshade occupied. 

“Help!!” Cloverpaw yowled as she crashed through forest. She tripped over a root and pain exploded in her foreleg with a sharp crack. Her head suddenly spun and she almost fell. She saw Bramblestar with a patrol and ran towards them as fast as she could on three legs. “Mudpaw is fighting Mapleshade in the tunnels and he needs help!” That was all she managed to say before the ground came rushing up to meet her and the world went black.

  
  



	11. Chapter 11

Bramblestar’s day was going perfectly fine up until Cloverpaw happened. He was hunting with a patrol, and they were doing pretty well he might add, but now he was carrying the unconscious Cloverpaw back to camp after she ran into them yelling about the tunnels and Mapleshade. On one paw he felt bad about Hollyleaf’s daughter and whatever problems she might have. But on the other, he was done with all this Dark Forest nonsense.

Cloverpaw woke up to the dark, damp herb-like aroma of the medicine den with a dull throb in her leg. She tried to get up but was promptly told to go back to sleep by a grumpy Jayfeather. Cloverpaw ignored him and sat up taking care to not move her leg that much which was conveniently wrapped in a splint. She heard a quiet moan sound beside her and what she saw made her fight back a sob. Laying next to her was Mudpaw, looking like he had been mauled by a Shadowclan warrior. There were scratches along his flank and shoulder and one of his ears had been torn off in his fight. 

“He would’ve died if Bramblestar hadn’t sent a patrol to find him as soon as you guys got back to camp.” grunted Jayfeather when he sensed her sadness. Cloverpaw was silent for a moment, thinking. Something wasn’t right...

“What happened to Firefly!” she suddenly shouted. Cloverpaw sprang up, only to yelp and fall back into her nest. 

“Jeez, Clover, you don’t have to go around and wake up the whole forest you bum,” said a voice on her right. Mudpaw laughed then broke into a hacking cough. 

“Nobody knows we found you bleeding half-dead by the underground river. No sign of your littermate. When you're all healed you’re going back to your training with strict supervision. Bramblestar’s orders.” Jayfeather informed them. 

Many moons, and a few Gatherings, had passed, but there was still no sign of Fireflypaw. Despite this, Bramblestar felt that Mudpaw and Cloverpaw were ready to be made warriors now, considering all they had been through. Mudpaw and Cloverpaw had accepted. 

It was nearing sundown, and Bramblestar sat atop the Highledge gazing proudly at his assembled Clan. Mudpaw and Cloverpaw made their way out of the apprentice’s den, their pelts shown in the sunlight and Mudpaw’s scars were clearly visible. Not that Mudpaw cared, he, like every other growing tom, thought that they made him look tough. A certain gray tabby agreed with him, but no one needed to know that. 

“Seems that we’re finally going to be Warrior’s now that we’re all big and muscly now,” Mudpaw whispered to his sister, making her giggle quietly. As they approached Highledge, their eyes still sparkling with laughter, everything grew silent. 

“Today, we are gathered to witness the warrior ceremony of these two apprentices. They have survived through things many of us could never imagine, along with the daily challenges of Clan life. They have proved their loyalty many times over, and now deserve to become warriors in turn.” Bramblestar leapt down from Highledge to come face-to-face with the apprentices. “Mudpaw, Cloverpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and protect your clanmates at the cost of your lives?” There was no hesitation as the littermates replied in synch, “I do.” “Then by the power invested in me by StarClan, these two cats will no longer be known as Mudpaw and Cloverpaw, but Mudstrike and Cloverleaf!” 

Bramblestar bent down to lick the two newly made warriors on their shoulders and backed away as they turned to face their clanmates. “Mudstrike, Cloverleaf! Mudstrike, Cloverleaf!” their clanmates called, some a bit louder than others. 

As the yowls died down and the Clan dispersed to the fresh-kill pile or their dens, Bramblestar came back over to the new warriors, with Squirrelflight at his side. Squirrelflight stayed true to her name as she practically flew to Mudstrike and Cloverleaf, giving them each a quick lick on their foreheads before saying excitedly, “I couldn’t be happier for you if you were my own kit’s kits!” Mudstrike sat up boldly, as he had sat down, with his chest puffed out, while Cloverleaf got a look in her eyes and angled her face toward the ground.

Bramblestar chose that moment to step in, resting his tail on the back of his easily excited mate in an effort to calm her. “We both are,” the leader of ThunderClan purred, causing Cloverleaf to look up at him with a slight smile as thanks. “Now, I suggest getting in a bit of sleep before the sun sets. You have a long night of sitting vigil to do.” Bramblestar nodded toward the sun that was basking it’s glow over the tops of the trees, barely visible anymore. 

“Yes, Bramblestar!” Mudstrike exclaimed and bound over to the warriors den, making his sister jump slightly. Cloverleaf got up slowly and glanced up at the leader and deputy one last time before following her brother. If one listened carefully, they would’ve heard the light chuckle that came from Cloverleaf’s lips, but no one was. 

Cloverleaf curled up in her new nest next to Mudstrike near the entrance to the warrior’s den. She knew who she was now, and who she was before. Cloverleaf also knew that she was happy, but at thought at the back of her head kept pestering her. 

_ Where is Firefly? Is she safe?  _ Was Cloverleaf’s last thought before she fell into the darkness of sleep. 

It seemed that, not a heartbeat later, Cloverleaf was being shaken awake by Cloudtail. “Alright, alright, I’m up,” Cloverleaf mumbled as she stretched.

“Hey wake up, you guys have to do the vigil!” said Cloudtail.

“Wait, what?” mumbled Mudstrike as he woke up and looked around. 

“Shh!” said Cloudtail, “Vigil.” Mudstrike’s mouth formed a silent ‘oh’ and the two new warriors followed the white tom to the entrance of the camp. “If anything happens, just give a yowl,” Cloudtail explained with a chuckle. The tom turned away and headed back to the warrior’s den.

The littermates simply nodded and sat down in front of the camp entrance.

Firefly was no longer lost in the mountains. She had left the tribe cats after the river that passed through their territory had frozen over. Then she had somehow gotten herself conveniently lost and half frozen by the freezing winds that constantly blew around. Now, after countless days of the same grey-white cliffs, she had reached the Highstones. It was a breathtaking sight, but the now green eyed she-cat didn’t let herself enjoy it. Instead, she padded on to the hard rock looking for prey and possibly somewhere better to sleep than a mound of leaves and snowmelt.

It was nearly moonhigh and Cloverleaf was pretty sure that Mudstrike had dozed off a while ago. However, Cloverleaf herself was wide awake. Suddenly a high-pitched scream broke through the night’s silence. Cloverleaf whipped around to locate the sound and Mudstrike snapped out of his doze. Warriors leapt out of the den.

Whirling around with her ears swiveling every which way, Cloverleaf was the only one who was able to find out where the scream’s owner was. Pushing through all the commotion, Cloverleaf found herself standing near one of the ravine’s walls. 

Shaking her head, Cloverleaf began to turn away, back to the camp entrance. Cats had already begun to war back to their nests. Then a flash of white caught her eye. A sickening feeling lodged itself in her stomach, growing stronger as Cloverleaf crept closer to the cat.

Cloverleaf _knew_ this cat, but she didn't recognize them through all the mud that caked their pelt. Not until the _two_ frighteningly familiar vibrant green eyes snapped open and found her own amber ones. Cloverleaf gasped quietly and the cat's name was on the tip of her tongue. But the other cat beat her to it.

“Clover…” 


End file.
